SoCo: Orange County's new culinary hub

Arc, a restaurant at SoCo, cooks by wood burning oven or grill. SHOWN: A plate of calamari with potato, lemon and pepper emerges from the wood-fired oven at Arc Restaurant in Costa Mesa. A cast-iron dish is used to both cook and serve the meal. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

South Coast Plaza: Marché Moderne, Seasons 52, AnQi and Capital Grille. More changes are on the way. This summer, McDonald's and Rainforest Café closed at the mall to make room for Din Tai Fung. The chic Chinese restaurant, famous for its steamed dumplings, is expected to open in 2014.

SoCo: A closer look

Owner: Burnham-Ward Properties bought the bankrupt South Coast Home Furnishing Center in February 2009 and refurbished the 20-acre site with eco-friendly landscaping and building materials.

Mission: The remodeled 300,000-square-foot center sought fashion forward retailers, chic home furnishing purveyors and chef-driven restaurants. Early retail tenants included Stark Home, CS Wo & Sons, Fixtures Living and Paul Mitchell. Today, the center is called SoCo and includes the 24,000-square-foot The OC Mix. The atrium-court is home to boutique start-up food and retail shops.

Taco Maria

The highly anticipated food truck-turned restaurant, Taco Maria, is opening later this week at SOCO. Reps for the hipster Costa Mesa retail center confirm that Taco Maria will open Thursday for reservations only through Saturday, Aug. 24. As of Tuesday afternoon, reservations could not be made through their website. They will be closed Sunday and Monday. Normal operating hours, including walk-in seating, will launch Tuesday, Aug. 27. Address:3313 Hyland Ave Ste C21, Costa Mesa, California 92626. Read more about Taco Maria's chef-owner Carlos Salgado.

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Newport Beach was the go-to dining destination when I started covering Orange County's chain-infested food scene several years ago.

If you wanted to know where the hottest restaurants were, or the most romantic, you'd take a drive down Pacific Coast Highway – specifically Mariner's Mile.

Not anymore.

While coastal tourist towns like Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are still home to heavy hitters, the city churning out the most spectacular and groundbreaking concepts in Orange County is Costa Mesa.

And I'm not talking about restaurants at South Coast Plaza. Not to slight the mall's upscale establishments, such as Marché Moderne, Capital Grille, Seasons 52 and AnQi – they're fantastic restaurants with superb service.

But SoCo, also called South Coast Collection, has become the place where hipster diners of all ages hang out. Foodies clamor to sip the scientific blends at Portola Coffee Lab, taste the wood-fired cuisine at Arc and try the craft beer and waffle sandwiches at The Iron Press.

SoCo's evolution from a recession-battered home-design center to a dining mecca is no accident.

In early 2009, Burnham Ward Properties of Newport Beach bought the bankrupt South Coast Home Furnishings Center with an eye toward transforming it into a sleek urban shopping center that focused on fashion, food and furnishings.

Burnham and Bryon Ward, partners at Burnham Ward Properties, are the masterminds behind the makeover.

Inspired by the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, the developers have turned the 300,000-square-foot commercial space into an expansive open-air property with eco-friendly landscaping and building materials.

The developers are betting that consumers with a flair for contemporary furnishings, which are still a main component of the center, are the same people who desire palate-pleasing meals.

“Good taste loves good taste,” said Ward, president of Burnham Ward Properties. “We knew people that had good taste in fashion loved good food.”

Arc, a restaurant at SoCo, cooks by wood burning oven or grill. SHOWN: A plate of calamari with potato, lemon and pepper emerges from the wood-fired oven at Arc Restaurant in Costa Mesa. A cast-iron dish is used to both cook and serve the meal. EUGENE GARCIA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Portola Coffee Lab founder Jeff Duggan dabbled with home brewing and roasting for years before opening his cutting edge cafe at SoCo. He saw potential in the vibrant new center. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
“We're quickly becoming a culinary capital of Orange County,” said Scott Burnham, chief executive of Burnham USA, the center's property manager. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Taco Maria, which started out as a food truck, will open a standalone restaurant at SoCo. Tacos will not be plated at the restaurant. Diners will assemble their tacos, family-style, at the table. The restaurant is expected to open for reservations only on Thursday, Aug. 22. Walk in seating will be available starting Tuesday, Aug. 27. (Closed Sunday and Monday) CLAUDIA KOERNER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Building on its success at SoCo, Portola Coffee opened a coffee cocktail lounge called Theorem next to their cafe. CINDY YAMANAKA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Owner and executive chef Carlos Salgado will open his new restaurant, Taco Maria, at The OC Mix at SoCo for reservations only on Thursday. No walk-in seating. The restaurant will be closed Sunday and Monday. Walk in seating, and regular hours will start, Tuesday. Aug. 27. HANNAH POTES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Half-dozen oysters at the Shuck Oyster Bar at SoCo in Costa Mesa. The oyster bar is part of niche of restaurants that consumers love at SoCo. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Michelle Haut Chocolat is the latest food artisan to sign a lease at SoCo. The Laguna Beach chocolatier makes handcrafted artisanal truffles, gourmet chocolate signature M bars, homemade buttery caramels in 3 flavors: vanilla, espresso & rose salt, & hand dipped chocolate glacé orange slices. Coming this fall. COURTESY MICHELLE HAUT CHOCOLAT
Iron Press sells waffle sandwiches and craft beer at SoCo. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The owners of Portola opened a third beverage shop at SoCo called Seventh Tea Bar. It sells gourmet teas. LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Waiihi Sushi was one of the first food tenants at SoCo. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SoCo is fast becoming a center where foodies come for culinary excellence in Orange County. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SoCo, or South Coast Collection, is located on Hyland Avenue and the (405) Freeway. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Surfas, a cooking supply company from Los Angeles, opened late last year at SoCo. It sells more than 18,000 items in a warehouse of over 20,000 square feet. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Surfas, a cooking supply company from Los Angeles, opened late last year at SoCo. It sells more than 18,000 items in a warehouse of over 20,000 square feet. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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